We have a few painful but important questions to ask you:
Why you? Why should anyone buy your products or use your services? What do you have to offer that is worth anyone’s money? Why should someone buy from you and not the other guy?
Please don’t say that you have got 24/7 customer service or a no-risk return policy. Because this is something that’s very common among businesses, and probably won’t convince anyone to buy from you.
But we totally understand. Unless you’re Elon Musk and working on a SpaceX project, answering all those questions might be trickier than it seems.
After all, we’re living in the most competitive period in history. Consumers are overwhelmed with choices and variety. That means there are high chances that your business will just blend into the rest of the market noise.
So, how do you stand out from the flock? How do you “differentiate” yourself among the gobs of other businesses out there? How do you cut past all the clutter and noise?
The answer is – by crafting your unique selling proposition. It is the X-Factor, that incredible thing that will get a customer to buy your product, and not someone else’s.
Your USP is the winning difference that will set you apart and make you the ONLY good choice in an ocean of similar products. It literally adds seasoning to your brand.
But, crafting your USP is often more complicated than just saying you have the best products. And finding something unique about your business that a competitor can’t replicate can be challenging.
That’s where this guide comes to the rescue. Let’s delve into the nitty-gritty of USPs and how to create your own!
What’s a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? (Definition)
The market out there is crowded and oversaturated with millions and bazillion things for sale. Differentiating yourself is quintessential if you don’t want your product to be just another cog in the wheel.
That’s exactly what a ‘Unique Selling Proposition’ does. It is basically a summary that shows why you are the best choice in your industry. It is something that makes the difference between blending in and standing out.
Or, to put it simply: your USP is that special aspect of your product that sets it apart in the market and helps you hook more customers and retain existing ones. It describes the “why you” part of the sales equation.
Take Domino’s pizza, for example. Their Unique Selling Proposition is: “Get fresh, hot pizza delivered to your doorstep in 30 minutes or less, or it’s free”.
Do you see what they did here? They focused on one unique thing they can do well – getting pizza to you fast so it stays fresh and hot. Delivering pizza isn’t a new concept, but their 30-minute guarantee stood out!
They left no room for confusion, and it is apparent to customers why they should order their pizza from and not any other brand – they either get their pizza on time or their pizza for free.
So even in a crowded market, Domino’s set itself apart by displaying clear benefits along with a guarantee that no other pizza brand was giving.
In a nutshell, your Unique Selling Proposition is a statement of what makes your business unique and tells your customers the specific benefits they’ll get if they buy from you!
Your USP needs to be memorable, assertive, and strong enough to make an impact. Don’t worry; you can definitely create one without driving yourself crazy. We’ve broken down all the steps to help you get started.
Read more: Value Proposition: What is it & How to Write it?
How to Create a Killer Unique Selling Proposition? Follow these Steps!
Step 1. The Good Old-Fashioned Brainstorming
Get a pen and a piece of paper, or if you want to make the process more effective, open up a Bit.ai document and write down all the best things about your company. While you’re at it, try to answer these questions:
- What is your mission and value statement?
- How does your product or service solve customers’ problems?
- Why should customers buy from you instead of the competition?
- Are there any special techniques or technology that you use that other competitors don’t have?
- What’s your culture, and what creates your entire identity?
You can even involve employees from every level of your company in these brainstorming sessions. The more, the merrier! It doesn’t have to be a hassle at all because Bit.ai lets you and your team effortlessly collaborate on a Bit document in real-time!
Step 2. Find Out Everything About Your Target Audience
The world is a giant place, and more than 7.9 billion people are living in it. All of them have different passions, interests, goals, needs, and wants.
So obviously, you can’t be everything to everyone. You need to think about who your core audience is, what they really want and what motivates them to make a purchase.
Remember, your unique selling proposition needs to align with your target audiences’ needs. It has to make them feel like they’ve found just what they were looking for.
You can pop into online forums, conduct surveys on the street, join Facebook groups, ask for feedback from your current customers – there are literally so many ways to find out about your target audience.
But that’s an incredible amount of information to keep track of, right? Don’t worry; you can organize all this information neatly in Bit’s smart workspaces and remove all the clutter and inefficiencies that might get in your way while you’re trying to create a Unique Selling Proposition for your business.
Step 3. Analyze Your Competitors
If you want to outshine your competitors, you first need to know everything about them. So, pick your competitors and check what they’re all doing, and most importantly, what they are NOT doing.
Scour their social media posts, advertisements, videos, graphics, and all other marketing materials and identify the types of words they use to describe their services.
Even better, compile all these things into a document so that you don’t have to jump from one tab to another every time you need to take a look at them. (It won’t even take much time if you’re using Bit because it allows you to effortlessly embed any sort of rich media in your documents.)
As you look at their marketing materials, reflect on their weaknesses and where they are falling short. Once you get a clear insight into what your competitors are and are not doing, put them aside and focus on YOU.
Read more: Sales Pitch: What is it & How to Create a Killer One?
Step 4. What Sets You Apart?
Now that you know where your competitors are lacking, take a trip to the heart of your business to find out what makes you stand out from the pack.
The thing is, consumers, don’t buy products – they buy solutions to problems. So, emphasize why they need to choose you and not anyone else if they want to solve their problems.
What makes you special? How are you different? What’s something that your customers can only get if they purchase from you? All these answers are the key to setting a USP.
You need to tell your audience that your competition won’t be able to offer the same benefits as you because you’re – well – unique. Jot down all the qualities that make you different.
You can take some inspiration from Bit.ai! The platform has set itself apart from all other document creation tools out there with its unique and innovative features like design automation and interactive documents.
Step 5. Put it All Together
You’re almost there! You’ve found what sets your business apart, and you can see the big picture. Now it’s time to boil all of your research down into an instantly recognizable message.
It can be a few words or a short paragraph but make sure that it is enticing, irresistible, and clever. Most importantly, make sure that it creates a sense of desire and urgency in your customers.
Toss out a whole bunch of possible alternatives, play with them, get the ideas and words on your computer screen and move them around, and you’ll soon come up with your very own Unique Selling Proposition.
Now incorporate it into your marketing materials, talk about it, and shout it from the top of the mountain!
Wrapping Up
If you do not want your business to die a slow death, you’ve to create your own USP.
See, people just need an obvious, uncomplicated reason to buy your product over other options, and a good USP gives them a reason. It is as simple as that.
Without a USP, you won’t be able to earn a special place in the minds of your potential customers, and you stand a good chance of getting lost in the crowd.
But is defining your Unique Selling Proposition enough? Unfortunately, no.
Remember that you need to keep up with the promise you have made in your Unique Selling Proposition. Show up the way you said you would and be who you said you would be. Every. Single. Time.
Further reads:
Marketing Funnel: What is it & How to Create it? (Steps included)
Price Skimming: Definition, 3 Types of Phases, Pros & Cons!
10+ Powerful Sales Tips Every Sales Rep Should Know!
What is Competitor Analysis And How To Do It Right (Template Included)
Market Targeting: What is it & How to do it Perfectly? (Steps Included)
